World Shaking
by Fiara Ryan
Summary: Serena and Darien are beginning to question how far "destiny" can carry a relationship that has been worn down by misunderstandings and the tedium of life. Will sudden chaos sever the small bonds that remain or will everything be put in perspective?


Hello, hello! Long time, huh? I got the itch to do a little fun writing again, so here I am! So… fair warning: this one may seem a little depressing at times. I, apparently, have the need to put characters through all sorts of grief before their happy, or at least realistically happy, ending. Please pardon any grammatical or punctuation issues. I'm sort of writing this on the sly during slow moments at work.

So without further ado…..

Chapter One: Empty

The first thing Serena noticed as she awoke was the blinding light shining through her eyelids. She must have forgotten to close the blinds. It was one thing on a long list of things she often forgot to do. Taking a deep breath that she hoped would help lull her back to sleep; she shifted her weight to bury her face in one of her plush pillows. She reached a slender arm across the bed in search of the warmth of her husband who she knew had to still be there. Emptiness.

She sat up quickly, peeling her eyes open and attempting to blink the fog of sleep away. The blankets and sheets had been carefully tugged back into place and any wrinkles had been smoothed out of his pillow. It all felt cold as if he had never been there though she knew he had been.

"Darien?" She called out, imagining that her voice echoed through the empty apartment. "Are you still home?" Silence.

She tossed the blankets aside and rolled out of the comfort of her bed, tugging her nightgown in place as she padded across the plush carpet of the master bedroom and into the bathroom. Humidity still clung to the air from the steam of his hot shower. She picked up his toothbrush and noticed that the bristles were still slightly damp from use. She dropped it back on the counter and headed straight for the kitchen. Maybe he hadn't heard her. Maybe he was still finishing his coffee and getting ready to head out the door. She scurried down the hallway outside their bedroom and rounded the corner that led to the kitchen. Still nothing. She noticed a plain white mug drying in the dish drainer, yet another sign that he had been there at some point. She walked over and grabbed the mug, running her thumbs over the beads of water that hadn't yet rolled off of it. To any stranger, there would be very little evidence that anybody else even lived in the spacious apartment.

The evening before, he had been asleep on the couch when she had come home from seeing a late movie with the girls. How could she have forgotten he would be home that night? Had he even told her? She couldn't quite remember the last time they had sat and had a conversation about his schedule… He hadn't even texted to ask where she was. Was it because he didn't want to bother her while she was out with friends? Or was it because he didn't care anymore?

She had carefully and gently coaxed him awake and then led him to their bedroom, tucking him into bed and brushing his dark hair away from his face. He looked so young and carefree when he was asleep. There had been countless nights that she had stared at him as he slept, memorizing every angle and slope of his handsome face. It had been a while since she had had a chance to stare at him. Even at that moment, she couldn't make herself climb into bed and join him if there was the slightest chance he would wake up and have trouble falling asleep again. His residency at the hospital was very difficult and he got so little sleep as it was. He was always so tired…

But none of that explained why he had left so quietly. Did he mistake the dark circles under her eyes as a sign of exhaustion instead of the reality of her nights spent quietly crying for their lost closeness and his missed company? Was he just letting her rest? Or was he avoiding her?

With a wordless cry of anger and grief, Serena threw the mug as hard as she could into the wall behind her, watching in satisfaction as the shattered pieces rained down to the floor. And then came the guilt. She was pretty sure he loved that mug. Did he love that mug more than he loved her? That stupid mug…

She knelt down and began scooping the pieces off of the floor. She let out a hiss of pain as one of the larger pieces sliced deeply into the palm of her hand. She froze. The physical pain was so much easier to deal with than the emotional pain. Each drop of blood that slid across her palm and down her wrist seemed to release a fraction of the ache that had taken over her heart. She stared at the shard of porcelain still embedded in her skin. The cut would definitely need stitches. The wound was so easily explained away that her friends wouldn't even raise an eyebrow. She had always been so clumsy. Would they question… two such cuts? Three? How many slices looked like an accident and how many were an obvious cry for help?

She yanked the piece of mug out of her hand and threw it away from her, shuddering at the track her thoughts had taken. She was sad and lonely, not destructive. At least not yet... But the blood stained mug remains seemed to laugh at her like they somehow knew how far she had almost gone.

Serena stood and walked away from the broken mess. Darien could clean it up when he came home. Then he might at least have a conversation with her. As for her, she had to get out of the deafening silence of their apartment. She had just enough time to have her hand stitched before meeting her friends for their weekly lunch date.

Can I tell you that I kind of feel proud of myself for posting some new material on here? It's been so long… The chapters on this one may be kind of short, but the idea is to update often to make up for that. I also wrote a humorous piece, a lot like my story Ice Cold Escapades, that I'm hoping to finish soon. I just need to finish writing a battle scene in that one and then it's good to go. I honestly don't know if I'll post that story first or the next chapter to this one… you'll have to wait and be surprised!

As always, flames are welcome, but be sure to throw some marshmallows in with the fire ;)

~Fiara


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